the Bucket: Bucket Seat: KIA Sportage Diesel

As most of you know, I was given the opportunity to get acquainted with the new KIA Sportage over the December break and while I loved that car to bits, I said what would make it even better was the introduction of a diesel motor to the line-up. Now I'm not saying they took my advice as they probably had this pre-planned but they recently introduced their 1.6L turbodiesel engine in three trims to the KIA Sportage line-up, namely, the LX, EX and GT-Line Plus. I had was given the GT-Line Plus model to spin around the east coast for a week, to see if my assumptions were true about adding a diesel option to their line up and while I don't want to seem smug, I will go through this review limiting my smugness over this car and what it has to offer.

DESIGN

It's just a change in engine so the great KIA futuristic design remains the same, it's quite different from the rest of the KIA line up and to be honest, I quite like how it stems away from the generic SUV look that the current segment has with the competitors. The boomerang LED daytime running lights are a great design feature that give the car more dimension and has many offshoots from it, like housing the main headlamps, linking the slim line grille and contouring the lines from the bonnet and bottom half of the bumper. It also looks from its profile as the starting point of the cars design. KIA's wheel design also is big and bold with large flat surface which does add structural stability to the wheel but also looks great at the same time. The interior is probably one of my favourite from a lot of brands let alone the SUV segment. From the layout to the material choices, it just makes sense and looks the part too.

PERFORMANCE

Getting to the crux of the matter, that 1.6-litre turbo diesel motor, the 4-cylinder unit that is mated to a 7-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox produces 100kW of power and 320Nm of torque. The GTLine Plus model that I had came with paddle shifts on the steering. That, for a mid-sized family SUV is the perfect power production and will really blossom on the open roads. Urban driving, of which I did a lot of isn't too bad, as with me it was mainly going to work and back as well as the odd trip to go shopping and enjoy some recreational time with it gave me an average fuel consumption of about 7.3 litres per 100km. Looking at the brochure, KIA claim the Sportage diesel can give you 4.9 litres per 100km, this is probably done under ideal conditions but coming back to my first statement about where you'd really see the beauty of this engine on long distance trips. With good driving, one could easily get over 1000km on a single tank of juice with the Sportage. This with a full cabin and luggage in the boot. I was a bit disappointed to see KIA opting to give this model the normal gear selector and not the radial one I had in the petrol one over the December break. Not that it's a major issue but it looked pretty cool.

COMFORT

I already spoke about the well designed interior but the choice of materials used in the cabin feel super luxurious, from the leather/ suede seats and dash to the high gloss piano black finishes on the dash and center console. The dual screen command center that splits between the instrument cluster and infotainment screen is great and easy to use. Mobile apps are a standard with still a need for cable connectivity which isn't the worst thing as wireless does tend to drain the battery life. There is a wireless charging pad for the mobile device should that be required. There is two USB ports for the driver and front passenger,both have their own zone climate control with seat heating and cooling. The rear passengers also get seat heating as well as USB B ports which are mounted on the side of the back rests of the driver and front passenger seats. Other standard features for the GT-Line Plus include deluxe scuff plates, alloy pedals, electric tailgate, lane follow assist with lane keep assist, LED interior lighting, panoramic glass sunroof and forward collision avoidance assist. The Sportage has a 54-litre luggage capacity, decent amount for a small family but more importantly for me, can fit a full set of golf clubs with ease.

VERDICT

Overall, the KIA Sportage diesel option is the ideal SUV option for someone like me, the diesel engine offers optimal performance with great fuel consumption. It's by no means a high performance car but for the segment its in and compared to the the competition, it does stand out the best. The creature comforts of the car make it more appealing if the design wasn't enough to by. Even with the model being almost a year old it still manages to turn heads everywhere you go. It's the perfect vehicle to load up the family or a group of friends and go for a much needed road trip.